Playground apparatus



Nov. 26, 1929. R, w, THOR TO I 1,737,066

PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 26, 1929.v a I R. w. THORNTON 1,737,066

PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Filed June 18. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 album.

Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES RICHARD w. THORNTON, or DENVER,coLoRAIJo PLAYGROUND APPARATUS Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to improvements in playground apparatus and hasreference more particularly to a device which rotates and which hasbeendesignated by the name of merry-whirl.

It is the object of this invention to produce a device which shall beadapted for use by children in public playgrounds or on the playgroundsof schools and which will be calculated to afford amusement with :theleast possible danger of injury to the-children.

This device, briefly described, consists of a vertical support whoselower end is rigidly secured in position in the ground and to the upperend of which is *rotatably connected a device having a plurality ofrigidly extending arms whose outer ends are bent downwardly andterminate a short distance above the ground. The lower ends of thedownwardly extending end portions have secured to them :a plurality ofplatform sections which enclose the entire device so as to form asubstantially circular platform. This platform is located .a shortdistance '25 above the ground and is adapted to supportthechildren. 'Thedownwardly extending arms are connected by means of bars which form handrails which can be engaged'by the children when they are operating thedevice. The device is freely rotatable on the center support and thechildren by having one .foot .on the platform can use the other foot toengage the ground thereby producing the necessary force to rotate the.device so as to set it in a whirling motion.

Having thus briefly described the inven tion, I will now proceed todescribe the same indetail, and reference for thispurpose will be'had tothe acompanying drawings. on which 40 the device has been illustratedandin which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view .of the device in assembledposition;

Fig.2 is a fragmentary view of the supporting platformlooking in thedirection of arrow .2, Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 is a view looking in the direction of arrow 3, in Fig. 5; p v

Fig. at is a section taken on line 4-4,'Fig. .5 .Fig. 5 is a verticalsection taken on line '50 55, Fig. 1; and

1928. Serial No 286,106.

Secured to the upper end of the supporting member 2 is .a-plug t whichhas a portion projecting intorthe interiorof the pipe and has a radialflange '5 that extends over the upper edge of the pipe and serves tosupport the plug in the manner shown in Fig. 5. A pint can be provided,ifdesiredto hold the plug against rotation .or against endwise movement.The upper endof this plug is provided with a circular craceway '7 withinwhich .is located a plura'lity of balls 8. Se-

cured to the support 2, at a point spaced '70 from the upper endthereof, is a sleeve 9 which is held in place by means of screws orrivets 10. The upper end of this sleeve .has'an outwardly extendingflange 11, whose upper surface .lSgPFOVlClGCl with a ballrace 12 5 forthe receptionof theballs 13. A sleeve 14: hasitsnpper end provided withan end closure .15 whichhas: a downwardly extending cylindrical flange1-6 that embraces the upper end ofthe sleeve 1-4 and is secured to thelatter '80 by means of rivets 17. The enddosure is ;P-IOV] .Cled Wllillaiballrace 1 isladap ted to receive the balls 8 in the manner shown vinFig. 5. Extending outwardly from the :upper end of the end closure is aconical flange 19 that is provided with a plurality of spaced openings2Q for the reception of thehook ends 21 of the brace rods 22to whichreference willbe-made hereinafter. Secured to the lower end of thesleeveis cylindrical ember 23,lwhose lower end isprovided with an outwardlypro]ecting flange24c whose ex- .tremeouteredge terminates in adownwardly extending circular flange 25 that embraces the outer edgeofflange 1 1 in the manner shown in Fig.6. The under surface of flange 24is provided with :acircular ballrace 26 for .the reception of theballs13. It is new ap parent that the sleeve 14 can be freely rotated on thesupport 2 and that the Weight of the sleeve will be supported on theballs 8, while the balls 13 serve to hold it in concentric relation withrespect to the support 2. Secured to the sleeve 14 directly above themember 23 is a casting comprising a cylindrical sleeve'like portion 27,whose inside diameter is substantially the same as the outside diameterof the sleeve and whose ends 28 extend radially and are perforated forthe reception of a clamping bolt 29, Fig. 6. This casting is providedwith a number of radial hubs 30; in the example illustrated there areeight of these hubs, but any other suitable number may be employed.These hubs are each provided with a cylindrical opening adapted toreceive one end of a radial arm 31 and are also each provided with a setscrew 32 for clamping the arm in position. These radial arms extendoutwardly for a distance of substantially six feet from the center ofthe support 2 and are then bent through an angle of ninety degrees so asto form downwardly extending end portions 33. These end portions areconnected with the arms by means of circular bends 34 to which steelcastings 35 are secured by means of rivets 36. The shape of these steelcasings can be seen from a comparison of Figs. 3 and 5 from which itwill be observed that each of the castings are provided with oppositelyextending ends 37 which are perforated and with two upwardly extendingspaced lugs 38. Secured to the lower ends of the brace bars 22 arecastings 39 which are provided adjacent their ends with an annulargroove 40. The bottom diameter of this groove is substantially the sameas the distance between the lugs 38 so that the casting can be put intoplace between these lugs in the manner shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Theextreme end of the casting which has been indicated by numeral 41 servesas an abutment. It is now clear from the description above given andfrom the illustration of the construction which has been shown in Figs.1 and 5, that members 22 form tension members that co-' operate with thesleeve 14 and with the arms 31 to form triangles which give rigidity tothe construction. Secured to the lower end of each downwardly extendingend member 33, is a casting 42 which has an outwardly extending bracketportion 43. Secured to the upper surface of the brackets 43 are theadjacent ends of the steel platforms 44. There is one platform sectioncorresponding to the space between each pair of downwardly extendingparts 33 so that the platform is which is secured to the outer end ofthe bar 49, whose other end is curved in a manner shown at 50 so as toform a substantially semicircular portion that is adapted to embrace oneside of one of the downwardly extending arms 33. A supplemental curvedpart 51 has its outer end 52 interlocked with the corresponding end ofpart 50 and is provided with a spaced portion 53 that is perforated forthe reception of a belt or rivet 54. By tightening the bolt 54, the bar49, which carries the link 48, can be securely clamped to the member 33.The hand rails extend all the way around the device and are located ashort distance on the inside of the vertical members 33, so as to bereadily accessible to the children and at the same time not be in theirway. The castings 35 that are secured to the curved portion connectingparts 31 and 33 are as above intimated provided with oppositelyextending lugs or ends 37. 'These lugs are perforated for the receptionof a downwardly extending projection on the ends of the L shapedcastings 55 that are secured to the ends of the brass rods 56.

It will be apparent from the above description that this device isprovided with a plurality of radially extending triangular supportscomprsing the sleeve 14, the compression member 31 and the tensionmembers 22 to which the platforms 44 are connected and by which they aresupported. It will also be seen that these triangular sections areinterconnected so as to be securely held in a predetermined radialposition by means of the hand rails 45 and the brace rods 56. Themovable parts are supported on ball bearings which permit free rotationand which are adequately protected from the deteriorating effects ofrain and which therefore permit the parts to be rotated with leastpossible amount of friction. A number of children, by first putting thedevice into rotary motion, may hope on and off the platforms and therebyamuse themselves without any obj ectionable danger of injury. If it isfound desirable to do so, a woven wire net may be connected between thehand rails and the inher edges of the platforms 42 so as to positivelyprevent the childrens feet from slipping off the inner edges of theplatforms. This protective device has now beenindicated by means ofdotted lines in Fig. 1,

where it has been designated by numeral 57.

Having described the invention what I claim as new is:

1. A playgrounddevice comprising a stationary vertical support, atubular sleeve rotatably connected with and enclosing the upper end ofthe support, a thrust bearing between the upper end of the support andthe upper end of the sleeve, means for maintaining the lower end of thesleeve concentric wlth the support, arms extending radially from'thelower end of the sleeve, the upper end of the sleeve having an outwardlyextending downwardly inclined flange (19) provided with a plurality ofopenings for the reception of tension rods, tension rods having theirupper end provided with hooks adapted to extend through the openings inthe flange, the outer ends of the radial arms having spaced lugs (38),the lower ends of the tension rods having connectors (39) securedthereto, said connectors having grooves adapted to receive the lugs(38), the outer ends of the radial arms having downwardly extendingportions and platform sections extending between the downwardlyextending portions and supported thereby.

2. In a playground device having a stationary vertical support, atubular sleeve rotatably secured to the upper end of the support, armsextending radially from the sleeve and an annular platform suspendedfrom the arms, a bearing for the lower end of the sleeve, comprising asleeve (9) having an outwardly extending flange (11) whose upper surfaceis provided with an annular E ball race, a cylindrical member (23)secured to the lower end of the sleeve, a flange (24) extendingoutwardly from the sleeve, the under surface of the flange having anannular inclined surface forming a ballrace adapted to cooperate withthe ballrace on the sleeve, the outer edge of the radial flange (24L)terminating in a downwardly extending cylindrical flange which projectsclownwardly beyond the upper surface of the flange (11) on the sleeveand serves to pre vent the entry of water intothe hearing.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

RICHARD W. THORNTON.

